Daniel J. Sullivan, the so-called decoy candidate in Alaska’s Senate race, refused to answer questions under oath during the state’s initial investigation, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy said Thursday.
The revelation comes after The New York Times confirmed that Mary Peltola’s campaign recruited Daniel J. Sullivan to run, a move critics say was designed to confuse Alaska voters. According to the report, Democratic operatives in Peltola’s campaign worked to get him registered as a Republican challenger under the name Dan S. Sullivan, the name of the incumbent senator.
The Times reported that the effort involved trips to “far-flung Alaskan communities” and a mysterious Midwestern operative who traveled the state under a fake name and pitched would-be candidates over beers at brew pubs. “The plan worked,” the paper reported, noting that this spring a retired teacher from a tiny fishing village along the Alaska Panhandle announced his candidacy for Senate under the name Dan J. Sullivan.
On Thursday, it was also reported that the Justice Department has ramped up its investigation into how Daniel J. Sullivan ended up on the ballot as a spoiler, issuing a flurry of subpoenas within 24 hours. According to Fox News, more than 30 subpoenas have been issued. Reports also emerged that the candidate has not held any campaign events.
Following the Times report, Dunleavy directed the state’s Department of Public Safety to investigate whether the scheme broke Alaska law and whether criminal charges or civil action are warranted. He said the reporting “substantially supports” the findings of an earlier review by the Alaska Division of Elections, and that deliberately tricking voters into backing someone else “strikes at the integrity of our elections.”
Appearing on Fox News on Thursday, Dunleavy said Daniel J. Sullivan refused to answer questions under oath and initially tried to present himself as Daniel S. Sullivan rather than Daniel J. Sullivan. “He did not want to talk and do it under oath,” Dunleavy said.
